What do they have in common?

by MONTO GAWE
FARRAH FAWCETT. MICHAEL JACKSON. MARICEL SORIANO. CORAZON COJUANGCO AQUINO.

What do they have in common?

1. They all defined my prepubescent and adolescent years (1980s).
2. They’re in the news these months of June and July 2009.

Farrah Fawcett

Charlie’s Angels had a huge following and dominant presence during its heydays. The nearest approximation nowadays is American Idol. And of the three girls (Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett), Farrah embodied the quintessential all-American beauty and she was every boys’ favorite angel.

As an adult, she still managed to impress me as she essayed the real-life Love Story passion she shared with Ryan O’Neal. But more importantly she matured into a formidable actress and her later years served as a beacon of hope to those who struggle with cancer and similar affliction

Michael Jackson

His music, fashion and moves defined a generation – the 1980’s. Along with equally iconic Madonna, Michael held the world in his hands and riveted it with his sheer genius and artistry. His lyrics and harmony evoke pathos, angst, a cry for equality, love and redemption that could well be the anthem of the Gen Xers, Bagets and Brat Packs of a musically decadent era.

The controversies that plagued his later years sufficiently gave his image a veneer of myth – understandably human but beyond human comprehension. He was a world unto himself, a flirty recluse who teased the world with his shenanigans and satisfied its hunger for greatness with his unbounded energy and genuine talent without equal.

Maricel Soriano

Filipino pop-culture would be incomplete without mentioning the feisty, petite and uber-talented regal baby, Maricel Soriano. While, it is true that the collective triumvirate of the Underage Girls (Dina Bonnevie, Snooky Serna and Maricel Soriano) initially caught Filipinos’ adulation, it was Maricel Soriano who single-handedly squared it off with the proverbial silver-spooned Sharon Cuneta for 80’s Movie Queendom. And their rivalry was one for the books for its lop-sidedness (Talent versus Machinery).

True to form and totally deserving of the Diamond Star tag, Maricel still continues to shine as lustrous as ever. Her limitless acting range and prowess is patiently and quietly honed by her fearless choices of roles to delineate. And her image and persona, both phoenix and chameleon in nature, audaciously evolves and dazzles her myriad of admirers. Her Preview stint is one such proof. Simply breath-taking and jaw-dropping, she never fails to surprise.

Corazon Aquino

As a martial law baby, Marcos was the only president I ever known until 1986. During those adolescent years, politics was not a popular topic among classmates and friends but the EDSA revolution changed all that. Overnight, it seemed, I realized that I was a Filipino, that Rizal actually lived and died for the country, that History is not the same as Fairy Tales and other in-your-face issues that turned your perspective 180 degrees. In the midst of it all was an unassuming vision in yellow, Cory Aquino.

Who can ever forget the images of throngs of people converging in the biggest street of the metropolis as if in fiesta despite the ominous situation they were in? How about the impression nuns made while they prayed with rosaries clutched in their trembling hands before cannons or little girls offering flowers to hardened and perhaps ready to kill macho soldiers? Nah, no child of the 80s can as ever forget as the world media made sure that the Filipinos and all humanity took notice. Until now, the imagery is vivid and etched in my mind along with the democratic icon, who for better or for worse, remains to be a unifying force and hope of a benighted nation.